Proverbs 13:6

6 Righteousness guards people of integrity,^[a] but wickedness undermines the sinner.^[b]

Proverbs 13:6 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 13:6

Righteousness keepeth [him that is] upright in the way
Men of uprightness and integrity, whose hearts are sincere in the ways of God; the principle of grace and righteousness in them keeps them in those ways, and will not suffer them to turn aside into crooked paths; the word of righteousness, the doctrine of the Gospel, is a means of preserving them from sin, and of keeping them in the right way; particularly the doctrine of Christ's righteousness, and justification by it, is a great antidote against sin, and a powerful motive and incentive to the performance of good works, and all the duties of religion: it engages men to observe every command of Christ, to walk in all his ways; and is a great preservative from false doctrine and antichristian worship; but wickedness overthroweth the sinner;
it is the cause of his utter overthrow, of his being punished with everlasting destruction. It is, in the Hebrew text, "sin" ^F2 itself; the sinner is so called, because he is perfectly wicked, as Jarchi observes; he is nothing but sin, a mere mass of sin and corruption. Aben Ezra renders it, "the man of sin"; and it may be well applied to him, who is emphatically called so, and is likewise the son of perdition; who, for his wickedness, will be overthrown and destroyed at the coming of Christ, and with the brightness of it, ( 2 Thessalonians 2:3 2 Thessalonians 2:8 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 (tajx) "peccatum"; Montanus, Vatablus, Cocceius, Michaelis; "lapsationem", Schultens.

Proverbs 13:6 In-Context

4 The slacker craves, yet has nothing, but the diligent is fully satisfied.

5 The righteous hate lying, but the wicked act disgustingly and disgracefully.

6 Righteousness guards people of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner.

7 One man pretends to be rich but has nothing; another pretends to be poor but has great wealth.

8 Riches are a ransom for a man's life, but a poor man hears no threat.

Footnotes

• [a] Lit guards integrity of way
• [b] Pr 10:29